


The Boy Born a Star

by pitypartyof1



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Exile, M/M, Star AU, Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 23:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14342871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pitypartyof1/pseuds/pitypartyof1
Summary: The one where Ashton's been exiled and must find his way home or, perhaps, find a home in someone new.





	The Boy Born a Star

**Author's Note:**

> I need to know if anyone has any interest in this, or if I should just let it go. I'm on the fence about it. Please let me know what you think.

Ashton’s earliest memory is of his family – his brothers and sisters spread into infinity, glowing with welcome. The feeling of pleasure blossoming within him is so immense he thinks he’ll never be able to contain it, so he doesn’t. Ashton allows the feeling to overtake him, swelling, warmth spreading through every centimeter of him. He shines. He is one of the brightest his kind has seen in many years, or so he is told. On Earth, stories and songs are written about the night Ashton comes to exist. Priests and elders attribute his glow to the appeasement of their gods. It is believed that he is a sign of good favor and blessing.

Those who have been around through the ages explain to him their purpose. They are the time keepers, tracking events of the Earth through eternity, tracking _humanity_. They watch, they remember. When all else is gone, they will remain. Ashton comes to learn that his appearance coincides with a time of great turmoil on the planet below. In the future, Ashton will watch over the shoulder of Homer as he completes the epic tale of the Trojan War.

Though, as a newborn, Ashton is present for only the last half of the war, he is fascinated by Helen of Sparta and Paris of Troy. Stars do not comprehend love. Though he watches them night after night, he is not able to understand how the infamous couple could condemn their countrymen to this bloody battle for the sake of some emotion. Still, he shines brightly all the same. His brilliance does not dim even as he watches the titan heroes clash and Hector of Troy falls. Nor does it fail when Paris avenges his brother and Troy is sacked.

But nights turn quickly to years, dragging ever onward. Years of watching people destroy each other. The conflict in Troy ends, but there are countless more to follow. Rome rises and falls. The Catholic Church commences the crusades. World Wars decimate peoples and countries. Governments are toppled, leaders overthrown. The ways in which humankind torture and attack each other are ever growing and mutating.

As he watches, Ashton hurts. He hurts for humanity. He hurts for the wasted potential of the human race. He hurts because he is powerless. Ashton is tired of watching, he begins to resent those around him. He begins to fade.

And then, one night, Ashton does something no star has ever voluntarily done: _Ashton stops shining_.

The choice is easy, though it brings no amount of satisfaction. Turning his back on humanity, he surrenders his duty. Almost immediately, his light begins to recede. He feels cold. In fact, it’s been a great many years since Ashton last felt any warmth emanate from his glow. Quite suddenly, it’s dark, _he_ is dark. Ashton is no longer watching. He thought he’d feel relief, but instead, he feels something worse. The feeling is foreign, and he has no name for it. Those around him hum in disapproval, and Ashton shrinks further into himself.

The elders of his kind come the next night when he remains unlit. They surround Ashton, beg him to resume, unable to understand his cessation. _It is not our job to feel_ , they pronounce, _we simply remember_. _It is_ , they say, _our duty to record the history of the earth until we are gone ourselves_.

Upon his refusal, he is met with silence, and then a decision. If he denies his duty, he cannot be allowed to remain among them. They are baffled by him, afraid. No star has ever shunned its purpose. On Earth, those who see him make wishes as Ashton streaks across the night sky, falling, _banished_.

Heat engulfs him as he hurtles toward land, burning. Ashton writhes, pain searing through him. The ocean erupts around him on impact and Ashton feels a velvety dark curtain settle over him, cradling him. He wakes from unconsciousness barely afloat. No concept of how much time has passed exists for him. Even banished, he is still a star – immortal, unable to drown, unable to die. Floating in the inky black night, he stares up, counting his brothers and sisters. Knows they pity him as they gaze back at this example of his shame. The sun rises, Ashton sleeps.

Eventually, he is levied into a small boat by men with dark skin. They surround him, shaking, prodding, shouting. Coughing, he attempts to shield himself from the harsh light of the day. When he is able to blink, he sees that the skin of his new body is dark like the men around him. It’s as if he’s spent years of his life on this planet in this same sunlight rather than mere days.

Though he recognizes their language, he does not respond to any of the queries they pose him. Instead, he huddles silently, their gazes burning into him. It seems a strange thought for such a time, but he finds himself wondering if the humans ever feel the prickling of being watched by Ashton’s kind. _Do they ever stir in their sleep and know I see?_

Wrapping a towel around his body, they retreat to the bow of the boat. The men have begun talking amongst themselves, debating. Ashton keeps his eyes on the water passing smoothly under the hull, waiting. As the boat begins to slow on approaching the shore, Ashton slings himself over the stern and strokes for the sand. Echoing shouts from the men on the boat follow him, but he does not falter.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who may tend to skip notes at the beginning... I need to know if anyone has any interest in this, or if I should just let it go. I'm on the fence about it. Please let me know what you think.


End file.
